Decision : 36 COM 7B.40
Royal Palaces of Abomey (Benin) (C 323 bis)

3. Acknowledges the information provided by the State Party in regard to the state of conservation of the property and urges it to continue its efforts in the sustained implementation of conservation and management measures;

4. Expresses its concern at the damage caused to the Houégbadja Palace by the fire in January 2012 and the lack of any mention of the fire and its impact in the State Party report;

5. Considers that the lack of adequate prevention and maintenance measures and response plans appears to have contributed to the fires in 2009 and 2012;

6. Requests the State Party to develop a comprehensive disaster risk Management Plan and submit it to the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies for review by 1 February 2013;

7. Also urges the State Party to develop a reconstruction policy document as requested by the World Heritage Committee at its 34th session and to halt all reconstruction work until such a policy and a detailed reconstruction project plan for the fire damaged buildings have been approved by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies;

8. Further urges the State Party to update the Management Plan as a framework for the reconstruction policy and disaster risk Management Plan;

9. Also requests the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM reactive monitoring mission to assess the state of conservation of the property and to assist in defining ways to address the development of a reconstruction policy, a detailed reconstruction project plan for the fire damaged buildings, a disaster risk Management Plan and an updated Management Plan;

10. Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2013, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 37th session in 2013.